My Swan
by mayarox95
Summary: A.U. No curse. She was five the first time Princess Emma the first time she could remember seeing Prince Killian. She found him to be rude, arrogant, and a jerk. But as the two of them grow up, they develop a friendship stronger than anything else.


**My Swan**

Her first memory of him was when she was five years old and he had come along with his family to visit their kingdom. According to her mother, Snow, they had visited every summer since she was born, but she had no recollection of it. All she knew was that she despised Killian with every last bone in her tiny body, and nothing could ever change that feeling.

She was in the courtyard of the castle, standing behind her parents who were trying to get her to go play with Prince Killian so that they could discuss politics. She had been so nervous to have to talk to him, not because he was a scary person, he was puny and anything but intimidating, but because he was a _boy_!

"Just go play with him, Emma," her mom said gently as she pushed him towards the young boy. "You'll like him once you get to know him."

"Don't wanna," Emma cried out as she buried her face in her mother's skirts. She clutched on tightly, hoping that if she was persistent enough, her mother wouldn't make her go play with the strange boy whom she was wary of.

Emma was in no way spoiled. While her parents doted on her and would occasionally buy her presents from time to time, but she would never get anything outrageous. They would tell her how they wanted to keep her grounded; that a good princess should not be spoiled. Not that it stopped Alexandra, her fellow princess, from being spoiled beyond measure by her parents.

Because of that, it shouldn't have surprised her when her begging got her nowhere.

"Mommy and Daddy have to go talk about important things with King Liam and Queen Helen," Her father, Prince James said as he tugged her away from her mother. "Maybe you can show him around the castle, how does that sound, Pumpkin?"

She nodded shyly. Her parents and his left the room, and suddenly she was left all alone with the boy she had so been dreading.

"I'm Killian," the seven year old boy said as he extended out his hand to her, like a proper prince would.

"I know," she said, as she eyed his hand like it was contagious. "I'm Emma," she said after a brief pause.

"Obviously," he said with a drawl. "Now, are you going to show me around this place or do I have to show myself?"

She glared at him. "Follow me," she said in her bossiest voice, walking ahead of him without caring if he was following or not.

Emma decided at the age of five that Killian was annoying, and was barely tolerable; she didn't like him at all.

* * *

Things were only slightly better when she was eight, even after three years of their visits.

"Why can't I be the pirate?" she whined when Killian had told her that they were going to play 'Princess and the Pirate'.

"I already told you," Killian said impatiently, "Because you are a girl. Besides, you're already a princess, so it should be easy for someone as young as you to grasp."

She stomped her foot in protest. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I should have to be the princess! Besides, I'm only two years younger than you, Jones! That doesn't make me some little girl that you can boss around just because you're older."

He smirked at her, "Fine, Princess," he said. "I'll make you a deal. We sword fight for who can be the pirate, wooden swords of course, wouldn't want to injure someone as _little _as you."

She kept her eyes levelled with him and gave him a big smile. Her parents believed that it was important for a princess to be well versed in matters not only involving princess antics, but also the way of fighting. Having a mother renowned for her archery skills, and a father whose sword fighting skills were legendary gave her a lot of live up to, but she was happy to oblige. She hated sitting down and acting like a lady of high class all the time. Being able to fight gave her a way to express herself, just like singing or dancing did, except it was something she actually liked.

"You're on, Pretty Boy," she said matching his smirk, and she walked to the weapon shed and pulled out the sword that her father had got her only the previous year, and an extra one for her guest.

He looked offended by her description of him, but he quickly recovered, "Are you sure you can handle such a big weapon, lass? Maybe you should go get the toy ones."

"Why?" she taunted him. "Scared you'll lose?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You wish, Princess," he said, as he took the other sword from her. "But when you lose, prepare to admit that I was right."

"We'll see," she said, and she raised her sword. "Whenever you're ready, Jones."

He raised his sword at her cockily, obviously not expecting her to be ready; however he was caught off guard when she swung her sword, nearly knocking it out of his hand.

"Well, I see you're not completely inexperienced," he said. "Too bad it won't help you win." He placed his leg behind her, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. However she wasn't completely caught off guard, as she grabbed onto him, bringing her down with her.

"Just admit you lost, little lass, and we can end this here and now," he said, giving her a bring smile.

"Who said I lost?" she asked as she grabbed a nearby rock and hit him on the head. It wasn't hard enough to draw blood or cause any damage, but it was hard enough to get him to roll off of her and onto his back.

Before he could react fast enough, she grabbed his sword from him and jumped to her feet. She held up both swords to his neck and gave him an innocent smile, "I guess this means I won." She may have cheated, but she had long since learned that sometimes round about ways needed to be taken to succeed.

He groaned, but his eyes showed a new level of respect which he hadn't had before. "Aye, that you did, Lass. Fine, you can be the pirate, but I'll be the prince."

"Deal."

At age eight Emma decided that maybe Killian wasn't all _that _bad.

* * *

When Emma was ten years old she began to become insecure about how she looked. She wasn't beautiful like her mother; nowhere near it. Of course her mom and her maids would always assure her of how wonderful she always looked, but she couldn't believe them. After all, they were obliged to say such a thing.

One day during the summer when Killian was visiting, she decided to take a walk alone while he spent some time training with his knights. She didn't mind; she loved training, but she also loved to spend some time to herself.

She was out in the gardens when she heard the stable boys talking about her.

"-I don't understand what everyone sees in the Princess; I mean sure she's rich and all, but she's nothing all that special. In fact, I find her to be kind of…plain," one of them said.

"She's not even that, she's just ugly."

"Baelfire, be a bit fair to her…she's not that bad," the third one said.

"I wouldn't ever give her a second glace if she wasn't a princess…hell I'm not sure I even want to be under her rule," the second one said again.

"Do you honestly think she'll be able to rule us? She's a girl! They'll probably marry her off to some Prince and join the kingdoms. Women may be good at _some _things, but figures of authority are not one of them," the one called Baelfire said once more.

She couldn't hear anymore. Did everyone think of her this way? Did everyone think she was unfit, and ugly? She ran from the stable, tears blurring her vision. It was the first time she had anyone ever speak genuinely to her; not just politely as they were expected.

She didn't even notice as she ran straight into someone, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Emma?" she heard Killian call out. She sniffled, and she saw Killian's face shift to worry. "Emma, what's wrong?"

She let it all out, sobbing heavily. Killian looked stunned, unsure of what he should do, but he held her in his arms, and let her cry.

He patted her back soothingly, "Emma, tell me what happened. Please, Emma," he said in a gentle voice.

So she did, she told him everything she had heard the boys say about her, told him about how they laughed at her, and how they made her feel. Never once did his arms loosen around her. He looked enraged when she told him.

By now they were good friends. She wrote to him when he was at home, and he always responded. She had even spent a few winters at his home with her mother, and could say that she honestly enjoyed herself immensely.

"I'm going to kill them," Killian said, as he drew his sword. "Or at least teach them about talking poorly of their Princess."

She shook her head, "Please don't! They'll only hate me even more if they know that I was the reason they got in trouble."

"Emma, princess or not, no one should talk poorly of a woman. The fact that you are a princess makes it all the worse. And on top of that, they hurt you, so they deserved to get punished."

"Could you just stay with me for a while?" she asked him. "I could use a friend to talk to, and I haven't seen you all day."

His eyes softened, as he sat on the ground to face the pond in front of them. He gestured to the spot beside him, and she sat down, grateful that he seemed to be listening to her.

She took in the scene in front of her, appreciating the beauty. There were a few swans in the water, and she could hear the birds happily chirping away in the trees.

"You know it's not true right?" Killian said, as he looked at her.

She held her knees close to her chest, "What?" she said, not wanting to broach the subject.

He looked at her, "Any of it. Everything they said was false. I've fought you, remember? I know that you're more than capable of kicking some butt if you need to."

She didn't say anything. Instead, she chose to focus on the birds in front of her.

"And the other part isn't either," he said after a moment.

She smiled sadly, "I'm not stupid, Killian. I'm old enough to see the truth; I'm not pretty, and I'll never be, and that's all there is to it."

"Do you see those birds there?" Killian said instead, as he pointed to the swans that were swimming out on the lake.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Do you see their little baby birds?" he asked her.

She nodded again.

"The ducklings are slightly plain and simple, but you can tell there's a hidden beauty to them. But it's just that; hidden. It's only appreciated if people look closely at them. But give them a few years, and they blossom into swans that are elegant beyond measure. Though people only ever notice the swans, they rarely notice the ducklings," he said, staring off at them.

Emma looked at them enviously. The birds were so lucky that they had something to look forward to when they grew up.

"Emma, you're a duckling," he said, and he looked right at her as he said those words. "You're young now, and you're beautiful, but you just can't see it because you're not looking deep enough. But give it a few more years, and eventually everyone will be able to tell as well. And then you can make all the people who ever doubted you eat their words. You're beautiful, Emma, you just need to learn to see it too."

She shook slightly. She wanted to tell him that he didn't mean it, or that he was just saying it to make her feel better, but one look at his face showed her that he was serious and that he meant every word of it.

"You're a swan Emma, you're my swan," he said, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. In that moment, she felt so lucky to have him.

Later on, unbeknownst to her, he had personally beat up those boys, and got them sacked from their jobs. She didn't find that out until much later, when one of her maids told her about what had happened. But something else had changed that day, because slowly Emma was falling for Killian. She may only have been ten years old, and probably knew nothing of the world or even love. But her ten year old self knew that her feelings for him were true.

* * *

The summer she turned thirteen, there was something different about Killian. He was darker and grumpier all the time. He ignored her, and liked to sit by himself for long periods of time, and Emma was hurt by it. She tried so hard for days to get him to talk, but he refused, saying that he was far too grown up to have to deal with children.

She heard their mothers whispering about it one day, when they had thought that no one was around to hear them.

"I'm so worried about him, Snow," Helen had said as she sobbed, "He barely eats, and hasn't spoken to us for months. I don't even know what happened. He was so happy when he left here last year, and then he became so much happier over the last months. I was so glad to see him like that, but then something just suddenly changed. It was as if all the happiness he had gained in those few months vanished overnight."

"Snow, I don't know what to do anymore. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose my son forever. I had hoped that seeing Emma would help; she's always lifted his spirits before. I had to practically force him onto the ship. But so far it does not seem to be working."

Her mother embraced her fellow queen, "Pain is a hardship of growing up. When Killian is ready to talk about it, he will, and then he will. But until then, he needs time to mourn the loss he is obviously feeling. Give him some time to heal."

She had left at that moment, but she had decided one thing for sure. Killian was her friend and he had been there a countless number of times for her; the least she could do was be there when he needed her too.

A few days later, she had arranged for them to go horseback riding. He had refused profusely, but with the help of his parents, he didn't have a chance.

She looked at the scene around her; from up on the horse, the world around her looked so peaceful.

Emma looked over at Killian, but saw that his neutral facial expression was bordering on fury. She had decided to try and engage in some conversation.

"It's a beautiful day," she said wistfully, hoping to spark up a conversation. "Do you spend a lot of time riding back at your land?"

He had chosen not to reply to her, and instead just continued to look forward.

"How's your training going?" She tried again. "I know you had written earlier about a few new moves you had mastered."

Killian simply grunted in response. Well at least she knew that he hadn't gone deaf.

"Do you want to race? I can be like old times!" She said, attempting to sound enthusiastic.

"Emma, I don't want to partake in such childish activities anymore! I'm too old for such a thing! I don't know why I even have to put up with hanging around young people anymore. I wish everyone would just leave me alone and stop treating me as if I were a child! I'm going to be king one day, the least everyone could do is at least act like it!"

She felt her heart break by his words, "You know what, Killian? You may be growing up and you may be too old for me, but that doesn't stop the fact that I know you're lashing out because you're in pain. I don't know what happened or who hurt you, but whatever pain you feel does not give you the right to act as if no one else matters. Believe it or not, the rest of us have feelings too, and don't appreciate being treated so second hand. You may be the crowned prince, but you're acting like a spoiled brat. And until you start to care about other people's feelings, I want nothing to do with you."

Emma whipped the reigns of her horse to get her to speed up. She was beyond frustrated and furious with her friend, and needed to not be around him for a little while at least. She pulled ahead of him and kept riding on, faster than he could keep up. If there was one thing she could always do better than him, riding would be it.

"Emma, wait!" she heard him cry out from behind her. She knew that she should stop, that she had broken through to him, so she should wait to hear him out. But she didn't care at that moment. She may be her mother's daughter, but she was selfish.

When she felt she was far enough ahead, she pulled the horse to a stop. She climbed off, and while she trusted her horse, she still tied the reigns up to a nearby tree. She sat beside it, and curled her legs up into her chest.

Emma was too old to cry, but even still, a few tears slipped down her face. She loved Killian; it took her a while to realise and even still she refused to say it out loud. She believed in true love; she was convinced that her parents were lucky to be able to find it, but wasn't sure if she would be able to ever find it.

"Emma?" she heard Killian say from behind her.

"What do you want?" she snapped at him, angry that he was seeing her looking vulnerable. "Shouldn't you be off wallowing in self-pity somewhere?"

He winced as he slumped down on the ground beside her, "I guess I deserved that."

She chose not to say anything to him.

"I'm sorry, Emma," he said slowly. "It got so easy to push away everything else and focus on my own pain, and while doing so, I couldn't see that I was hurting everyone around me as well."

She looked at him for the first time, "What happened to you Killian? One day we're corresponding and the next you pretend I don't exist. That hurts, Killian, it really hurt."

"You're right," he said with a sigh, "Something happened to me a while back that's been hard for me to get over."

She didn't say anything, hoping it would encourage him to keep going.

"There was a girl who I met a few months back. She worked in the maid quarters. She was engaged to be married, and I knew better than to get involved with her, but there was something so irresistible about her. She was a fiery spirit, and a dreamer."

Emma felt her heart break for him, but she continued to listen to his tale. "She didn't love him; the marriage was so her family would have a slightly better standing in society; seeing how he was a soldier. I told her that I would marry her as soon as I was of age and provide for her family. He was a coward; a good for nothing drunk, only joining the army because it was a means to an end; he had no skills whatsoever."

"At this point, we had been seeing each other for a few months, and that afternoon I was to go see her parents and ask them to allow me to begin courting her. I showed up to her house, all ready to do so, however when I arrived, her parents were huddled over a body, her body. Apparently, she had decided to tell her fiancé that she wanted to get out of the marriage to him, while he had been drunk and over at her home for dinner, however it was more of him consuming all their food. In his rage, he had stabbed her in the heart with a knife, while her parents were in the other room. When he had realised what he had done, he fled, and no one has seen him since."

Killian looked bitter, "Her parents were confused as to why I was there, and I didn't know what to say. It seemed too late to tell them that I loved their daughter and wished to marry her. Milah was dead, and nothing would bring her back. She's gone."

Emma took his hand in hers to comfort him. "I've sent out several search parties, but it's a 'waste of kingdom resources' so I had to stop. He walked free from her death, and doesn't have to live with the consequences."

Emma wrapped her arms around him at this point. She may have feelings for him, but at that moment all she could think about was the pain he was probably going through. She held him close, to comfort him, to tell him that she understood his pain, and that she would always be there for him.

He seemed a bit startled by her actions, but didn't pull away. Instead, he let her hold him, and even wrapped his arms around her body, as he shook lightly. She knew that he was finally letting it go. He had bottled up his anger for so long, and hadn't had any one to talk to, so he was suddenly letting go of all the pain he had felt.

They headed back to the castle a little while later. Killian looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. She knew he would still feel the pain for a while, but he was finally on his way to getting better.

By that night, everyone had noticed the change in Killian's mood when he began to converse with her father about politics, and even smiled a few times. Emma looked at their mother and saw them exchange a smile when they thought no one was looking.

Before he left at the end of that summer, she made him promise to never stop writing to her again. He had teased her saying that he didn't want to write to her, and that it was _'so boring_' but when she got back to her room that night, she saw a letter waiting there for her, thanking her for everything she had done that summer, and promising never to push her away again.

* * *

The year she turned sixteen, Killian's parents began to pressure him to get married. At the age of eighteen, and he had to start thinking about his future.

Emma knew that he still had some feelings for Milah, and probably always would, but he was doing a lot better and was slowly getting over his heartbreak.

He had met with quite a few number of girls at the request of his parents, however he had felt nothing with any of them, and because of this, his parents were throwing a grand ball for his birthday, in the hopes that if they invited all eligible females in their kingdom, he would find a wife. She knew she was running out of time if she ever wanted to tell him about her feelings; that it would have to be soon.

Killian had kept his promise to her and had dutifully written to her once a week since she was thirteen and had only stopped during their times together. She had gone to his castle during the winters, which were a lot warmer in his kingdom than her own. In that time she had grown closer with him. They both knew so much about each other, and he was her closest friend. She knew that if he found love tonight in someone other than herself, that she would have to be able to accept it, because she cared far too much about him to lose him altogether.

She stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a royal purple dress that wrapped around her body tightly at the top and flowed down at the bottom. Her Godmother, Red, had personally picked it out for her, saying with a wink that Killian didn't need to be the only one to find true love tonight. The sweetheart cut of the dress framed her upper body perfectly. Her mother had also given her the tiara that her mother presented her when she was a child to wear for the night.

"Emma?" she heard her father call out from the other side of her door. "Are you ready to make an entrance, sweetheart? The guests have arrived, and I've come to escort you down."

She opened the door to her room and smiled at her father. Upon seeing her, his face filled with his gentle, or charming – as her mother liked to say, smile.

"You look beautiful, Emma," he said softly, "So much like your mother." He stuck out his arm, and let her thread hers through his, as they made their way to the grand staircase.

She was no longer as self-conscious about her looks as she once had been, but she couldn't lie about the fact that the comparison made her heart swell.

He kissed her on her forehead, as he began his descend down the stairs to meet up with his wife. Emma stood nervously on top of the stairs, as she knew full well that the minute she made her way down, she would have to spend the evening talking to gentleman she didn't know, as she watched Killian dance with many other women. Emma took a deep breath, and she made her way down the stairs.

The dancing had already begun; she could see hundreds of couples twirling in circles to the music. Her father had already led out her mother to the dance floor, and she watched as they spun past her, smiling at her as they did.

Killian was on the far end of the hall, surrounded by eligible women, who all seemed to be vying for his attention. He however, had his eyes glued on her. He gave her a smile, and raised the glass of champagne he had been holding to her. She blushed slightly, but grabbed a glass from a nearby waiter and held it up to him.

Emma watched as the girls he was with managed to re-capture his attention, she plastered on a smile and turned away as a gentleman beside her struck her up in conversation. It was going to be a long night.

A few hours later, Emma managed to retreat out to a balcony. To say the night was awful would be a lie. She was having fun, and had managed to talk a few men as well. She had seen Alexandra, who was spending most of the night trying to flirt with Pinocchio, but in the time they had been together, Emma and she had giggled and gossiped about the different guests. It was a new experience for her to act like such a girl, but she didn't mind it. She found that she actually got along with Alexandra and a few other princesses her age much better than she had when she was younger.

"Having fun?" she heard a voice call out from behind her. She jumped, startled at the presence of someone else, before hurriedly turning to see who was interrupting her time alone.

"Killian?" she questioned, when she saw him. "What are you doing out here?"

He pouted playfully, "What's wrong, Swan? Don't look forward to seeing me?"

Ever since he had told her she was like a swan all those years ago, Killian had insisted on calling her that, to remind her whenever she doubted herself, and eventually, the nickname just stuck.

She smirked at him, "I just thought you would have preferred to be in their talking to all those lovely women."

He walked over to where she was standing, so that his back leaned on the railing, while she faced him.

"Not really, if I'm being perfectly honest. They were all lovely women, but there was something wrong about each of them."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief as she looked right at his face. "But you seemed to be getting along so well with all of them."

He returned her earlier smirk, "Jealous?"

She scoffed, "Yeah right."

He responded simply by holding out his hand to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she stared at his hand.

He rolled his eyes at her, "Emma, will you give me the honour of gracing me with a dance."

She shook her head at him, but she placed her hand in his. He pulled her close into him, so she could smell his musky scent, and feel his breath on her. Killian placed her hand on his shoulder, and then placed his hand on her waist.

They danced to the music, which was slightly muffled due to the glass separating them from outside, making it so they could still hear the silence of the night which was cloaked around them.

"Emma?" he asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"Hmm?" she asked him, suddenly becoming fully aware of just how little space was between them.

"You zoned out for a moment. Am I boring you that much?" he teased.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she said, her voice a slight pitch higher.

"About?"

She took a deep breath, "What was wrong with the girls you were dancing with?" she asked. "You said that you found something wrong with each and every one of them."

He looked a bit hesitant before responding, "None of them were you. I didn't realise it until I started dancing and attempting to talk to each of them. Some were too girly, they talked too much about themselves, or they were annoying, selfish, and some were just plain rude. I thought at first that I was comparing them to an ideal standard of what I wanted in a girl, but it wasn't until I saw you standing out here alone, that I realised that it's you I want."

Emma felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Emma, I don't just want you as the friend you've been to me, I want you to be my everything. I-I love you; I didn't think I would ever be able to feel that way about anyone ever again, but I love you, more than I even loved Milah. And I know how sudden this is and how unfair this is to you to put you in this position, but-"

She cut him off, before he could say another word, by placing a chaste kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, she saw a stunned look on his face, which quickly melted into a goofy smile.

"I love you too, Killian Jones. I have since I was ten, even though I didn't know it then."

He placed both his arms around her waist and drew her close, so their faces were nearly touching. "Good," he whispered. "Because you're the only one I want, and ever will want."

"Killian," she said in shock.

"Emma," he breathed. "You know as well as I do that my family is pushing for me to get married. Will you consider being my wife?"

"You'll have to ask my father for my hand," she warned.

"I'll do it tomorrow; I'll ask him in front of the court, so everyone can hear my pledge to you. But Emma, I need to know, is this what you want? I never want to put you in a position where you do what's right for everyone but yourself."

She gave him a smile, as her childhood desire came true. She knew though that it wasn't just some silly crush that a child gets. While she may have doubted true love in the past, being here, in Killian's arms, she knew that it was no myth. She pulled him in and said, "Yes, it is. I want to marry you, Killian," before their lips touched.

Inside the ballroom, Snow and Helen stood beside each other, watching as their children were together.

"I'm glad he chose her, Snow," Helen confessed. "She always has brought out the best in him, through his darkest and brightest moments. I always did hope that the two of them will end up together. If she'll have him, I'll be honoured to welcome her into the family."

"I'm glad she did too," Snow said with a smile, "Because he brings out the best in her. And if it's what they both want, I will whole heartedly give them my blessing. I couldn't have a better son than Killian.

Together, they watched as their children shared their happiness, before returning to the bliss of the ball.

The next morning, Killian came before his parents and hers in court.

"Father, Mother," he addressed his parents, before turning to hers, "King James, Queen Snow, it is an honour to have you in our courts. I'm overjoyed that you graced us with your presence at the ball last night."

Her father smiled upon Killian, "As are we. It does us much happiness to have been able to attend."

Killian smiled nervously, "Your majesties, I wish ask you both for Emma's hand in marriage. I love her, and nothing would make me happier than to welcome her into my life."

Her mother smiled brightly at the two of them, "Of course you may have my blessing! I think you are wonderful for my daughter, and shall be honoured to welcome you into our family."

Emma let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, and smiled at Killian.

Her father on the other hand looked a bit hesitant. King James stood, and looked at her, "Emma, this match is something that will be wonderful for both our lands, but I cannot allow this to happen just for the sake of prosperity. Before I give my approval, I need to know if this is something you want; will Killian make you happy for the rest of your life?"

She nodded, "Yes, father," she said with anther smile. "I love Killian, truly love Killian, and nothing could make me happier than being able to marry him." Emma approached Killian at this point, so she was standing right beside him.

Her father gave them both a smile, "Very well then. I shall gladly give you my blessing." James paused before continuing, "However, with that in mind, Emma is only sixteen. Killian, I give you permission to court her, but Emma has to be an adult before the two of you may be married. I do not want her to make such a serious decision at such a young age. When she is eighteen, you may propose, and if she accepts then, you may both get married."

Emma wanted to frown at her father's verdict, but it was fair. She did agree that she was too young for marriage. While other girls her age were lining up to get their pick of bachelors, Emma knew she wasn't quite old enough.

Killian slid his hand through hers, "Thank you, King James, Queen Snow. Mother, Father, may we get your blessings as well in this matter?"

Emma gripped his hand tightly. She knew his parents loved her, but what if they didn't think she was a suitable daughter-in-law?

King Liam and Queen Helen simply smiled at their son and at her.

"You have chosen wisely, my son," Liam said, "Emma will make a great asset to our land, both for her kind personality, and wise mind."

Killian's mother said, "I'm proud of your choice, Killian. I always had hoped that you would choose Emma."

Killian turned to her, "Emma, now that I can court you freely, I wish to give you a present."

Emma stared at him in shock as he drew a box out of his pocket, "But you only just got permission to court me! How did you know that our parents would agree?"

Killian simply had a twinkle in his eye, "I'm optimistic." He opened the box, and she could see a silver necklace inside it, with a swan charm, filled with a diamond for the eye.

"Killian," she said, sounding breathless as she looked at the gift. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Will you accept it, Emma?" he asked her softly as he took the necklace out of its box and held it up to her.

She nodded, "Help me put it on?" she asked as she turned away from him, well aware that the court was watching their actions.

He drew the chain around her neck gently, and she heard the clasp close. She turned back to him, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, not wanting to display too much affection.

Killian gave her a soft smile, and Emma knew that she had made the right choice in him. She loved him more than anything, and knew that it didn't matter that she had to wait two years to be married, because she was already his, just as much as he was hers.

* * *

She woke up giddy the morning of her eighteenth birthday. She had been waiting for this day for the last two years. Finally was she old enough to be with Killian. Finally she was old enough to be _his_ officially.

The past two years had been great; ever since Killian began to court her, she had been by his side for weeks at a time. And when they weren't together, he would constantly be sending her letters, attached with presents. The jewellery he gave her was always beautiful and while she tried to insist she didn't need it, he refused to listen to her. Every so often, however, he would give the money to some of the poorer inhabitants of their land.

The day passed with no significant changes, other than warm wishes from her parents, and a few gifts from neighbouring kingdoms. Emma had insisted on not having a ball for her birthday; she didn't need any reason for her mother to fit her into a tight dress which wouldn't let her breath. Killian had simply given her a kiss, and a rose. She tried to hide her disappointment, but wasn't sure how well she managed to.

It was nearly time for the dinner feast when Killian asked her to go for a walk with him. She guessed that he was probably trying to help her pass the time. There was no lessons for her or any princess obligations, so she was bored out of her mind.

"Emma?" Killian asked, calling her attention to him. They were at the castle pond, the same place where he had told her that she was beautiful all those years ago.

"Yes?" she asked, with a smile on her face. She looked into his eyes, and saw the beautiful blue staring at her, filled with so much openness and love, that she nearly melted.

He grabbed her hand softly, pulling her in closely to him. He brushed away a strand of her hair that was covering her face.

"Emma, you have no idea how happy I've been for these past two years courting you. Even though I already knew it, it helped me realised just how much I love you, and want to be with you. I would have asked that day right there and then, but I wanted to respect your father's wishes for you to turn eighteen, seeing how wonderful he's been to me all these years, so I waited. And I can keep waiting for a thousand years just to have you, but now that you're eighteen, I want to ask you officially," Killian got down on one knee at this point. "Emma, will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

A few tears slid down her face, and she placed the hand that wasn't in Killian's on her heart, as she held the necklace he had given her the day he got permission to court her. "Yes!" she cried out. "Killian, I've loved you for so long, and I don't want anything more than to marry you and be with you for the rest of my life."

He slid a ring onto her finger, and for the first time Emma looked at it. The diamond in the centre wasn't overly fancy, but it still was clean, and stood out. The band was pure silver, and against her skin, the combination glistened in the light of the setting sun.

Killian drew her into a gentle kiss, and when he pulled away, his forehead still touched hers. "I love you, my Swan."

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around her torso, knowing that she was finally going to get a happy ending of her own.

* * *

**A/N:** This is the first Captain Swan fic I've ever written, so I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to let me know what you thought about it.


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